Green’s Solar Plan just the start

With
the cost of the average power bill skyrocketing, the
Green’s new “Solar Homes” policy announcement comes as
a breath of fresh air. Under the recent policy announcement,
30,000 homes will get to slash their power bills by
installing solar PV panels on their roofs. The systems are
estimated to generate an average 3,500 kWh per year, saving
an estimated 100 GWh per year after the systems are
installed. The technology is proven and is robust. And that
sounds like a fair whack of power right?

Wrong. Let put
that figure in perspective. Last year we consumed 39,560
GWh. The Green’s plan would generate just 0.25% of that
figure. Under a “business as usual” scenario, the Energy
Ministry (MBIE) estimates that figure would soar to 57,650
GWh in 2050. That would mean we will need to generate an
additional 18,090 GWh just to keep up with rising
demand.

One could also expect that by 2050, electric
vehicles will be so ubiquitous and cheap to buy that most of
the light vehicle fleet (23% of total energy demand) has
changed over from combustion engines to electricity –
adding another 10 or 12,000 GWh to the yearly electric
demand.

And with the anticipated drop in the cost of PV
and other energy efficient technologies; its likely that the
residential gas network would become less viable, adding
another 2 or 3,000 GWh to the electricity demand.

Adding
that up that’s a lot of extra demand that needs to be
found somehow – highlighting that more will need to be
done to meet demand and keep electricity prices
low.

It’s still early in the election year. So while the
policy papers are being firmed up, why not include heat pump
water heaters, which will save another 2,500 kWh per
household, while shifting the power use away from peak load
times to daytime peak solar times. New generation LED lights
use up to 90% less

electricity than old ones. Lets not
forget the role of the new generation smart appliances, that
move power use to lower cost times of the day. Let the
policy include mandating “smart grids” using smart
household meters that can communicate with these devices
using wireless technology that will operate these devices at
the most cost-effective time of day to switch on and
off.

And let the policy be part of the Electricity
Authority’s mandate; removing it from the vagaries of
political debate and allowing long term benefits to be
achieved.

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